You’re not alone if your thoughts on open marriages are a little mixed. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of whether an open marriage is good or bad because it’s different for every person and every relationship. But there are some things you should know before you decide to leap: it can lead to jealousy and resentment between partners if they don’t communicate effectively, you’ll have to be honest with yourself about what you want and be prepared to compromise with your partner, and there’s no guarantee that this could work for everyone.
Defining An Open Marriage
Open marriages are defined as a union in which two people agree to give each other the freedom to have sexual relationships with other partners. Any marriage, open or closed, is based on trust and communication between partners so that they can understand each other. The open marriage experts from RebelLove.com believe in setting rules and conditions for open marriages to work. When it comes to an open marriage, these conditions need even more attention because there’s the potential for cheating.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
Honesty is crucial in any type of relationship. Lying and keeping secrets will only give you a false sense of security and closeness with your partner. If you’re not ready to come clean about your own needs, desires, and emotions, then you probably shouldn’t be dating.
It’s also important that both partners are on the same page when it comes to their marriage or relationship’s openness. This means that if one individual wants to remain monogamous while the other doesn’t (at least for now), then this may not be an ideal situation. While there are plenty of people who have opened up their marriages only to close them again down the road, many others have found success in having open relationships. If done correctly, they can provide a lot of benefits.
However, just because a couple decides to have an open marriage does not necessarily mean that everyone involved is going to get along swimmingly. Many people have been met with opposition from their family and friends when it comes to having a polygamist relationship.
The Importance Of Communication
The best thing that you can do in an open marriage is to communicate. Talk about your needs, desires, and fears often so that both of you can come to a joint understanding of what this new lifestyle means for the two of you. If there are going to be any rules or boundaries in place, then they need to be set early on so nobody gets hurt later on down the road. Listen to each other without judgment and try your absolute best not to hold grudges against one another when disagreements arise because if you don’t trust one another 100% already, then chances are opening up your marriage is not going to go well for you and your partner.
Supportive Vs. Unsupportive People
Some people are very supportive of their family and friends when it comes to having open marriages, while others are completely against the idea. This can lead to a lot of problems in your relationship, especially if one or both partners have parents or siblings that disapprove. Even though you chose this lifestyle for yourself, sometimes it might help to get opinions from other people who support your decision to reassure yourselves that what you’re doing is right for both parties.
It’s also important to remember that if you have children, then they are going to play a role in your open marriage. How they feel about their family dynamic will affect both parents, so it might be wise to keep them in the loop on what’s happening between you two.
Our Personal Experience With Open Marriages
We’ve personally been through an open marriage ourselves before. We chose this lifestyle because we didn’t feel like being tied down. We wanted to have a lot of fun while we were still young enough to enjoy it and while both of us had the energy to keep up with many relationships. We also loved spending time together, no matter how many other people we interacted with. In the end, our open marriage worked for several years before we decided to become monogamous again not too long ago.
Overall, there are plenty of benefits associated with having an open marriage if you and your partner(s) do it right! Just make sure that you’re on the same page and that you often communicate to avoid any drama or hurt feelings later on down the road. If done incorrectly, however, you could be faced with betrayal, jealousy, and even heartbreak.